New York University College of Nursing’s Sherry Deren, Ph.D., Director, Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) and Senior Research Scientist and Holly Hagan, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, served as guest editors of a special issue of the journal Substance Use and Misuse on “The New York HIV-Drug Use Epidemic: Lessons Learned and Unresolved Issues.”

NYUCN’s Deren and Hagan Guest Editors of Journal Substance Use and Misuse
LEFT: Sherry Deren, Ph.D., Director, Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) and Senior Research Scientist and Holly Hagan, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist

Special Issue from the Journal Substance Use and Misuse Timed to the 30 Year Anniversary of Initial Recognition of HIV in the US


New York University College of Nursing’s Sherry Deren, Ph.D., Director, Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) and Senior Research Scientist and Holly Hagan, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, served as guest editors of a special issue of the journal Substance Use and Misuse on “The New York HIV-Drug Use Epidemic: Lessons Learned and Unresolved Issues.” The issue consists of 19 articles focusing on important topics pertaining to the epidemic. The papers are organized into five sections: (1) the history of the epidemic and the response in New York; (2) the continuing need for HIV prevention among substance users; (3) challenges to be addressed for HIV positive populations; (4) special populations and (5) directions and recommendations for future efforts.

“The New York HIV-Drug Use Epidemic: Lessons Learned and Unresolved Issues” was conceptualized to provide an overview of some of the important influences on the New York epidemic, including interventions that led to the decline in prevalence among injection drug users (IDUs) and factors that impact the continued HIV risks of IDUs and non-injection drug users.

As reported in the introduction to this special issue: “The HIV epidemic among drug users in NY was first identified in the early 1980s, and by the mid-1980s, approximately half of all injection drug users (IDUs) in New York City (NYC) had become infected.”  Drs. Deren and Hagan note that  “2011 marks the 30 year anniversary of the initial recognition on HIV in the US and as we enter the fourth decade since the onset of the drug use–HIV epidemic in NYC we hope this special issue will be helpful to others addressing HIV/AIDS among drug users and other high risk populations in their communities.”

“The New York HIV-Drug Use Epidemic: Lessons Learned and Unresolved Issues,” Volume 46, Numbers 2-3 of the journal Substance Use and Misuse was published online January 7th with a hard copy available at the end of the month. To view the issue in full, please click here.


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